One hell of a soft morning

The following morning, as I slowly started to wake, the sun was shining on my face. It was warm. Comforting. But I wasn't ready to fully wake up just yet, so I turned my head in the other direction.

Way better.

Much better.

Not only was there no sun shining on my face from the window, but I was also resting my face against something soft. Something fluffy, squishy, firm, and warm. Something that suspiciously felt like...

I opened my eyes.

Are those?

Holy twin mountains of... What the hell was she doing here?

I fell off the other side of the bed and quickly got to my feet. Lying down in the same bed as I was just a second ago was a still-sleeping Sakuya, dressed in... not her kimono.

Was I dreaming? It had to be a dream. I slapped myself a couple of times to make sure. Nope, it wasn't a dream. Sakuya really was there, and she was nearly not wearing anything.

"Oh, hey, you're awake," Sakuya said, yawning and stretching. "How are you feeling?"

I'm sorry, but I could not look away.

"Soft melons. Big soft melons."

"Sorry, what?"

"I... mean... What happened last night? Between us," I said, rapidly pointing between her, me, and the bed.

Sakuya shot me a look as if it wasn't obvious what I was talking about.

"Ooooh, that," she said, flashing a smile and closing her eyes. "We totally did it."

I was confused.

"Huh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I knew she was joking. She had to be.

"Yeah," Sakuya continued. "When I came to check up on you last night, you told me you wanted me then and there and could not wait another second. So, I allowed you to tear off my clothes and... here we are. With a baby in the oven, I'm sure."

I wanted to explode from embarrassment.

***

This was the life she wanted. This was the life she had always wanted. Right here. Right now. With Jumo.

They were both lying on the bed on their backs, their faces to the ceiling. Their shoulders were touching. Jumo was shirtless, and Sakuya herself was only wearing her undies.

After the events of the previous night—the fight with the spirits, the Kuchisake-onna copies—the both of them ended up extremely injured. Jumo more than her.

He almost died.

That was the worst part.

"I don't know what I would have done with myself," Sakuya said, still focused on the ceiling. "I guess I was ready to die with you. That's why I stopped trying to fight."

Jumo quickly turned his head on the bed to look at her.

She did the same.

"Don't say that again," he said, a look of annoyance on his face. "And don't ever do something like that again. Do you understand?"

Sakuya fully turned her body in his direction. She saw him flinch a little. And she knew why.

When she was Ayane's age, she was already bigger than Aunt Kanna. And now, at 19, she struggled to find a bra that held everything together.

Jumo was flustered, but it was okay. She didn't mind. He could look. They were his. She was his. But on their first night agreeing to be with each other, she almost lost him.

"This is why I initially didn't want to tell you about any of this," Sakuya said. "Hiding it from you was the only way I could ensure your safety. Spirits above, you almost died, Jumo. And it was all my faultmm..."

Sakuya's brain melted.

Absolute mush.

Jumo had stopped her from rambling, and it was with a kiss. A deep one. Just like she had done to him the night before.

For a second, they didn't do anything else. They just kissed.

Breathing. Kissing. Breathing. Kissing.

And letting their hands explore.

Jumo—her chest, face, hair, and back.

Sakuya—his chest, face, hair, and back.

Heat.

Fire.

Electric.

Breathless.

Then.

They rested.

Jumo pulled away from the kiss and looked at her.

She was still focused on his lips.

"I chose to be with you, remember?" he said. "So don't ever blame yourself."

Sakuya smiled.

He was perfect.

***

As we got out of bed and wore our clothes in silence, I utilized the opportunity to finally ask.

"So. Not that I mind, in fact, I would love it if we could be sleeping together every day in our underwear," I said as I prepared to wear my shirt. My entire body felt sore, and I didn't want to rush the process and hurt myself even more.

Sakuya giggled at my comment as she wore her sleeping gown over her head. I couldn't help but notice how her back was towards me as she did so. Was that intentional?

"But I was wondering how it happened," I said. "I don't remember much from last night other than the chase and, you know," I looked down at my stomach, "the stab."

The wound was completely healed, but there was still a scar.

"How did we get back to the temple?"

Sakuya walked over with her button-up gown. She grabbed my chin, got on her tiptoes, and kissed me.

"Long story short," she said as she pulled back, "you saved me."

"I what?" I asked, blinking a few times.

"You took off your ring, transformed into this little big guy over here," she said, tapping on the Ogun tattoo on my chest with her finger. "Then you saved me. After that, since we had to wait until this morning to go find your ring, I chose to sleep with you."

"How can you say that so casually?" I asked, and Sakuya laughed.

"Well, Mr. You-Better-Prepare-Yourself, because this is going to be us every night," she said. "I'm not fighting with Aunt Kanna, and soon the elders, for us to be together so we can sleep in different beds, silly. Also, remember how your tattoos first began to itch a few days ago?"

"Yeah," I replied, remembering the exact moment.

"As it turns out, the lotion I rubbed on your chest was not what stopped the itching."

"It wasn't? Then what did?"

"This," Sakuya said, lifting her palm up and spreading her fingers.

I was still confused.

"My powers," Sakuya replied. "More specifically, my spiritual energy. The problem was not a skin rash. It was supernatural in nature. And when I touched you," she said, placing her palm on my chest again, "the pain went away. At least for a few hours."

I blushed uncontrollably from the realization and implication of what she just said.

"So that's why, just like last night," she got on her tiptoes again, then leaned in to whisper in my ear, "we are going to be sleeping naked together, so my body can help yours heal while also keeping your tattoos from potentially activating."

I flashed a nervous smile, and Sakuya grinned in response.

"But wait. What about the stab wound? Was it also you?"

Sakuya reached out and touched the scar on my stomach.

"Wow. Someone is a little handsy today," I joked.

"Ore ni mo itsudemo, dokodemo furete ii nda yo."

"You can touch me wherever, whenever too, you know."

I was speechless.

She giggled.

"I think this was a result of your transformation," she said. "When you turned into Ogun, the process seemed to have sealed your wound. How do you feel? Any pain or discomfort?"

I shook my head.

"And you still can't remember anything from after the transformation?" Sakuya asked.

"Nothing at all," I said.

"That's okay," she said. "I'm sure it will all come back to you. Now, come on. Let's go have breakfast."